Sex Offender Forces Way into Knoxville Home, Attempts Sexual Abuse

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KNOXVILLE, Iowa -- A Knoxville man with two sexual abuse convictions was arrested for a third time over the weekend.

Fifty-four-year-old Fred Smith is charged with First Degree Robbery and Assault with Intent to Commit Sexual Abuse. According to court documents, Smith posed as a salesman and forced his way into a 65-year-old woman’s home Saturday night. Once inside, the victim told police that he pushed her to the ground, groped her and demanded money.

“She had a medical alert bracelet and she was able to trip that. When those are activated, they make a noise, and upon hearing the noise, the subject apparently fled,” said Knoxville Police Chief Dan Losada.

The woman knew his first name and picked Smith out of a photo lineup. He was arrested a short time later.

“He was a registered sex offender. That is one of the reasons that he was known to us,” said Losada.

Police knew of his past crimes. In January 2003, Smith was convicted of robbing and threatening to rape an 88-year-old woman. The following month, he admitted to breaking into the home of a 75-year-old woman.

“I 100% don't believe that it was him,” said wife Lydia Smith.

Smith says she knows all about her husband’s criminal history because that’s what it is.

“It was a long time ago and he did his prison time and took his treatments. He was doing really good,” she said.

Fred Smith is being held in the Marion County Jail. He is listed as a Tier III sex offender on the state’s registry.

4 comments

Jake Moretti

Matthew

Filling the jails with petty crimes, like small amounts of marijuana, so that we can let the reallly dangerous people out, like this guy, because the jails are too full. Maybe he needs to force his way into one of the lawmakers’ home so they wake up and change a few things in this state. Common sense is not so common, anymore!